Buffalo Bills News - December 7, 2016

Buffalo Bills' Richie Incognito named PFF's top left guard of Week 13 [1:53 AM]Syracuse Post Standard reports:
'Oakland's defensive front is far more lightweight this year than it was in 2015, and Richie Incognito was able to take full advantage of that this week in the run game, paving the way for some nice runs from LeSean McCoy. McCoy averaged 7.6 yards per carry, and while much of that, as always, was down to him, one 29-yard carry did go right inside of Incognito's block.'

Buffalo Bills remain among top 20 teams in the league in Week 14 power rankings [1:52 AM]Syracuse Post Standard reports:
'Tweeted sometime during the third quarter Sunday that the Bills looked awfully impressive. Then they were just plain awful. Literally five minutes after that thought bubble punctured the Twitterverse, Tyrod Taylor starting playing like Bruce Mathison (look him up), the defense appeared to be transported by Scotty directly from the Gailey years and the rest of the afternoon became a Silver & Black track meet. Now what? Win out. Steelers, Browns, Dolphins, Jets ... Gotta win out.'

Rex Ryan can brag about mental toughness, but his Buffalo Bills lack it [1:51 AM]Syracuse Post Standard reports:
'If you need any evidence that Rex and his ragtag bunch lack a backbone, the loss in Oakland was ripe with examples. Start with the end of the first half when the Bills were up 10-6 and had the football. Instead of putting their foot on the gas and trying to score points, the Bills tried to run out the clock and punted the ball to the Raiders with 30 seconds to go in the half.'

5 reasons why Buffalo Bills won't make playoffs in 2016 [1:50 AM]Auburn Citizen reports:
'The question for the Bills is whether Taylor is worth keeping around. He's due to make $27.5 million in 2017. The Bills could cut him loose after this season. Do you gamble and pay him the money, or do you go in a different direction? The front office has a big decision ahead of them in the next few months.'

Felton adapts to keep rolling defenders [1:48 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'“Yeah it’s angles and edges now,” said Felton about the blocking schemes of today’s game. “Every once in a while you get opportunities to really go head up and feel the surge in those scenarios. It is different and I’ve had to adapt and I think I’ve done a good job of that here, especially this year.”'

Bills Today: Darby out of concussion protocol [1:47 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Also on the defensive side of the ball, Ryan said that linebacker Lerentee McCray was placed into the concussion protocol on Monday and the team will watch him as the week goes on. McCray has appeared in all 12 games this season and has made an impact on special teams.'

December 6, 2016

Plenty of blame to go around in loss to Raiders [9:19 AM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'“It’s easy to sit back and be critical but if you’re playing without five receivers in the game, I have a feeling — regardless if it’s Tom Brady or anybody else — it’s going to affect you, and that unfortunately has been kind of where we are. Hopefully we’ll get some more guys healthy and be more effective in the passing game.”'

Analysis: When adversity struck, Bills ran and hid [1:59 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'“I hope it starts with me,” Ryan said. “I know I’m mentally tough. If this team and every person in that room was like me, then I promise you we’re mentally tough enough. We’ve just got to find a way. That’s it. The way to do it is to be committed to what you’re doing.”'

Rex Ryan refuses to commit to Tyrod Taylor as starter for next season [1:58 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"Well, I can tell you this right now. As much as it doesn’t feel like it, we’re still in the hunt here," Ryan said. "We’re going to do whatever we can to win. We know we have to win these four games. We’ve got a hot Pittsburgh team here that’s loaded. It’s playing well on defense. Their offense is about as good as it gets.'

Bills' Percy Harvin done for season [1:57 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Based on his reported salary and bonus structure, Harvin will earn about $870,000 from the Bills this season.'

Bucky Gleason: Tyrod should hit the road – and take Rex with him [1:54 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Taylor’s days in Buffalo appear to be numbered. The Bills have an escape clause in the five-year and $90 million contract extension he signed during training camp. Terry and Kim Pegula are generous people, but they’re not pushovers. Anyone could examine Taylor’s play, do the math and see he’s not worth the dough.'

What They Said: Rex Ryan & Bills players Monday after they 'imploded' vs. Raiders [1:53 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'I mean it is the same team, everything else for the first two and half quarters but it just seemed like it snowballed on us. We thought we were playing well, offense, defense, everything. I thought we were playing, having a heck of a game, and then all of a sudden it just took a turn and we couldn’t. We couldn’t right the ship.'

Three up, three down following Buffalo's Week 13 loss to Oakland [1:52 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'It’s an absolute treat to watch McCoy run. He averaged more than 7 yards a carry Sunday, piling up 130 yards on just 17 attempts. McCoy is absolutely one of the best running backs in the league, and must feel like he’s all alone at times in trying to carry the Bills’ offense.'

Rex Ryan the Optimist: 'We're still in the hunt here' [1:51 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'There are up to a dozen tiebreakers to settle wild-cards with head-to-head result being No. 1. It means if current division-leaders Baltimore and Oakland were to fall into the wild-card picture with 10-6 records, the Bills lose out. If it’s Miami they are in contention with, the Bills lose out on division record. If it’s Denver and Buffalo, the Bills win out on better record against common foes — providing the Broncos lose to the Patriots and Raiders.'

Maiorana: It's time for Bills to move on from Tyrod [1:50 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'While the Raiders were scoring 29 unanswered points, in between, the Bills had four possessions consisting of 10 plays, nine net yards, and a Taylor interception. The defense failed, but let’s also remember two of Oakland’s scoring drives began at the Bills 16 (Taylor’s pick) and the Bills 38 (after a 17-yard net punt by Colton Schmidt). This loss is on Taylor every bit, if not more, than the defense.'

Rex Ryan says Buffalo Bills won't consider playing Cardale Jones over Tyrod Taylor [1:48 AM]Syracuse Post Standard reports:
'"Well I can tell you this right now, as much as it doesn't feel like it, we're still in the hunt here," Rex Ryan said Monday. "We're going to do whatever we can to win. We know we have to win these four games. We've got a hot Pittsburgh team here that's loaded. It's playing well on defense. Their offense is about as good as it gets. That's a huge challenge in front of us. At no time are we looking at that. We're trying to win these next four games."'

Buffalo Bills place WR Percy Harvin on injured reserve weeks after signing him [1:47 AM]Syracuse Post Standard reports:
'Harvin, who ended the 2015 season on injured reserve with knee and hip injuries and later retired, played in just two games for the Bills before he began having issues with his migraines and couldn't practice. The Bills officially placed him on the non-football illness list and ended his season Monday afternoon.'

Bills pass rush fails with similar test ahead against Steelers [1:45 AM]Batavia Daily News reports:
'The Steelers (7-5) sport one of the best offensive lines in regard to sack percentage, only allowing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (11 GP, 3,034 yards, 25 TD, 8 INT) to be brought down on 3.4 percent of his drop backs, that’s the third best in NFL.'

Bills QB Taylor not immune from blame after loss to Raiders [1:43 AM]AP reports:
'"For some reason, (it's) not getting done to where we need it to," he said, noting the Bills rank 31st in the NFL in allowing a sack for every 11 pass attempts. "That's clearly not good enough. So we just have to take a hard look and we've got to improve in a hurry."'

Patience wearing thin on Bills QB Taylor [1:41 AM]The Sports Xchange reports:
'Whatever the reasons, whatever the excuses, the bottom line is this: The Bills have the worst passing offense in the NFL, and Taylor is a major part of the problem. He simply does not see the field well, is slow to make decisions, holds the ball too long and, despite great mobility, has been sacked 70 times in his 26 games. Taylor also doesn't throw receivers open, and he almost never throws the ball over the middle.'

Back to the QB drawing board for the Bills [1:38 AM]WGR-AM reports:
'Despite the fact Carr and company were held to a mere three field goals in the first half, you knew they were going to put together a run. For me, the question was whether or not the offense could respond with points of their own but the answer was an emphatic NO.'